Content list available at http://epubs.icar.org.in, www.kiran.nic.in; ISSN: 0970-6429 Indian Journal of Hill Farming June 2017, Volume 30, Issue 1, Page 70-72 Diversification of Agroforestry Systems in Navsari District of South Gujarat N.R. Singh1* . A. Arunachalam2 . J.B. Bhusara1 . M. J. Dobryal1 . R.P. Gunaga1 1College of Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, NAU, Navsari 396450, Gujarat 2Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi 110001 ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Agroforestry have the potential to meet the ever increasing demand for diversified Received 15 June 2016 products such as food, fiber, fodder, fruit, fuel and timber. Challenges in Revision Received 4 October 2016 Accepted 13 December 2016 diversification of existing farming systems warrants development of suitable ----------------------------------------------- agroforestry models for popularization and further adoption by the farmers. A Key words: agroforestry diversification Gujarat livelihoods survey taken in five talukas of Navsari district (Navsari, Gandevi, Jalalpore, Chikhli ---------------------------------------------- and Vansda) during 2015-16 to document the prevailing agroforestry systems revealed that the farmers prominently adopted five types of agroforestry systems viz., Agri-silvi-horticulture (ASH), Agri-silviculture (AS), Agri-horticulture (AH), Homegardens (HG) and Horti-pasture (HP) according to household requirements and livelihood security. The common systems recorded in these villages were mango+rice, sugarcane+teak (boundary plantation), vegetable crop+mango+teak (on boundary), sapota+grass. Homegardens were restricted to Gandevi and Chikhli taluka only. The hilly tract of Vandsa taluka had Eleusina coracana + teak (boundary plantation), rice + Terminalia tomentosa, Eleusina coracana + Terminalia tomentosa (boundary plantation) systems. This clearly showed that the selection of intercrops depends mainly on edapho-climatic conditions of the area, farmers’ preferences, resource availability and their utilization pattern in a sequence in order to enhance diversification and achieve resilience in the existing farmland. 1. Introduction Changing priorities in context to present climate justice and green energy avenues like bio-fuels, employment generation, Agroforestry is a land use system to compliment food carbon sequestration and value addition are now being production while also enabling carbon sequestration, and is discussed and debated for agroforestry. Nonetheless, it has majorly a low-input system. Realizing the full potential, the been realized that agroforestry is the only alternative to meet “National Agroforestry Policy 2014” has been put in place the target of increasing forest cover to 33%. Meanwhile, it is in India to help promote this land use option for harnessing also necessary to develop mechanism to reward the rural poor multifunctional benefits (Johl et al. 1986; Garrity 2004) that for the ecosystem services of agroforestry such as biodiversity it has proven to provide especially in terms of livelihood conservation, watershed protection and carbon sequestration. improvement and climate change adaptation. The ever Overall, it requires appropriate research interventions, increasing demand for diversified products such as food, investment, suitable extension strategies, incentives and fuel, fiber, fodder, fruit and timber, therefore calls for marketing linkages to enable diversification agroforestry diversification of existing farming systems by developing practice and system to harness both tangible and intangible suitable agroforestry models. benefits. ________________ *Corresponding author:[email protected] 70 2. Agroforestry Systems in Gujarat (Cocos nucefera), Chikoo (Acrus sapota), and Guava or Jamfal (Psidium guajava) are important tree species raised by Agriculture occupies a prominent position in Gujarat. the farmers. This showed the selection of intercrops depends Cultivation of crops in each agro-climatic sub-division is mainly on edapho-climatic conditions of the area, farmers’ conditioned majorly by water availability amongst others. need/traditions and resource availability (Saroj and Dadhwal Nearly 20% of the area in Gujarat is drought-prone, with 1997). high rainfall variability, but still manages to harbour varied cropping pattern enabling production vis-à-vis food security. 3. Agroforestry in Navsari District The net cultivated area comprises 52 percent of the reported area (Mehta, 2012). According to the State of Forest Report Navsari district is (2045' to 2100' N latitude and 2 2013, the total forest cover in Gujarat is 14563 km or 7.48% 72045' to 73015' E longitude) is in the south eastern part of of the total geographical area. The trees outside forest (TOF) Gujarat state in the coastal lowland along Purna river. The 2 have been estimated to cover 8358 km area which district has 5 talukas namely Navsari, Jalalpore, Gandevi, constitutes about 4.26% of the total geographical area of the Chikhali and Vansda all covering geographical area of 2196 state. Likewise the area of tree cover under agroforestry is km2. Agro-climatically, Navsari district is categorized into 2 about 11591 km constituting 5.91 % of total geographical three regions such as forest and hilly tracts of the Eastern parts area. The State being the pioneer in social forestry sector in comprising Vansda block, saline soils due to inundation by sea the country contributes immensely to the TOF. Total number of Western parts comprising parts in Gandevi and Jalalpore of trees in the non-forest areas in 2003 was 251.0 million blocks and black fertile soils of the central parts comprising that increased to 268.7 million in 2009. Thus, tree Navsari, Gandevi and Chikhli blocks. With respect to land population has increased at an annual rate of 2.9 million holding, about 78 per cent farmers have less than 2 ha land and trees. At present, nine species - Neem (Azadirachta indica), the remaining 22 per cent hold between 2-4 ha of landOver all, Deshi babool (Acacia nilotica), Nilgiri (Eucalyptus sp.), the agricultural land utilization pattern showed that the total Sharu (Casuarina sp.), Ardusa (Ailanthus sp.), Teak area is about 220077 ha, where non-agriculture area is about (Tectona grandis), Subabool (Leucanea leucocephola), 34971 ha and total cultivable barren land is about 6970 ha.To Bengali babool (Acacia auriculiformis) and Bamboo are document prevailing agroforestry systems in Navsari district, a dominant economic species in agroforestry plantations. survey was conducted in five talukas of Navsari, Gandevi, Besides these, eight exotic species – Prosopis chilensis, Jalalpore, Chikhli and Vansda during 2015-16. In the study, Eucalyptus sp., A. tortalis, Casuarina equisetifolia, more than 25 tree species have been recorded in the Leucanea leucocephala, Pithocolobium dulce, Ailanthus agroforestry system. Prominent species were Tectona grandis, excels and Acacia auriculiformis, which were absent or Eucalyptus spp., Casuarina equisetifolia, Terminalia spp., rarely seen five decades ago have now become the dominant Azadirachta indica, Cocus nucifera, Artocarpus spp, Acacia species, constituting over one-third of total TOF in the State. catechu, Annona squamosa, Annona recticulata, Dalbergia At the same time, these exotic species have changed the sissoo, Embilca officinalis, Moringa oleifera etc. have been botanical landscape of the state, while also improving the recorded. Moreover, farmers of this region are also growing wood production and economy of the state (Gujarat State intercrop under Mango and Sapota orchards. Crops such as Forest Department). Region-wise, in areas of North Gujarat rice, okra, brinjal, chilly, spiderlilly, Eleusina coracana tree species like neem, deshi babool and ardusa constitutes (Nagli) and chickpea have generally been cultivated with tree dominant agroforestry plantations as preferred by farmers. In crops. Based on preliminary studies on cropping pattern and central Gujarat, Eucalyptus sp. along with Deshi babool and allied economics in Navsari district, only four major neem is the main species in commercial plantations of agroforestry systems have been adopted by the farmers agroforestry. Plantation of sharu and Bengali babool is ever (Panchal 2013). The dominant agroforestry practices adopted increasing in the high rainfall areas of south Gujarat, in this region are summarized and presented in Table 1. although teak, khair and bamboo are also preferred by the Farmers generally grow various types of crops according to farmers. Saurashtra and Kachchh have relatively less their needs and utilization and for cash crops, especially, agroforestry plantations due to adverse climate and poor soil according to market demand. During kharif, they generally conditions. Sharu, neem, sitafal are however preferred by cultivated crops such as paddy, pulses like pigeon pea and the farmers in this region.Amongst fruit species, mango black gram, sorghum and vegetables. During rabi, they (Mangifera indica), drum-stick or Sargavo (Moringa cultivated sugarcane, summer paddy, Indian bean and sun oleifera), Sitafal or Custard apple (Annona squamosa), aonla hemp/ dhaincha. Other/cash crops such as mango, sapota, or Indian goose berry (Embilca officinalis), Bordi (Zizyphus cucurbits, okra, brinjal, flower crops, etc, were also grown on sp.), Jamun (Syzygium cumini), Nariyali their farm land, thus maintaining the diversification of the farm crops. 71 Apart from these, aqua-based integrated farming